1.19.2012

Crystal Head Vodka

Unless you're blind or live in the middle of nowhere, you've probably seen or heard about an awesome relatively new vodka bottle shaped like a crystal skull.

Yes, it's pricey.

Yes, it's tasty.

And yes, it was co-founded by everyone's second favorite Ghost Buster... Dan Aykroyd.

Apparently Dan Aykroyd claims to be some sort of spiritualist who enjoys the old legend of the 13 crystal skulls that are (mostly) still hidden around the world and contain ancient supernatural powers. That's an interesting story and all, but I think he is mainly just trying to cash in on the celebrity booze game like every other celebrity.

But I have to give him one thing, he certainly made some damn good vodka in a badass bottle.

Crystal Head Vodka is actually made in Canada. Not exactly what you imagine of when you think of ancient, mysterious crystal skulls and human sacrifice. But hey, you never know with those Canadians *cough*Celine Dion*cough*.

Anyway, this neutral grain spirit is quadruple distilled and triple filtered through quartz crystals. That amount of distilling and filtering is not unusual for a premium top-shelf vodka, but compared to that shit you buy with your last five bucks in a half-gallon plastic jug to drink in a creepy park somewhere, it's pretty impressive. As a reference, I Spirit Vodka is distilled five times, 360 Vodka is distilled four and filtered five, Russian Standard is distilled and filtered four times, whereas 44' North is only distilled and filtered once (granted, it's a five column still). What is my point here? That the number of times the spirit is distilled or filtered doesn't mean shit. It's just a bunch of BS marketing hype. What really matters is the skill of the distiller and his methods, the quality of the beginning product, and the distilling equipment itself. Fortunately for my second favorite Ghostbuster, they have someone working behind the scenes who knows what they're doing.

Crystal Head Vodka comes in a badass bottle and pours crystal clear (pun intended) with no sign of color or haze at all. It smells really quite mild, like mineral water. This carries over into the taste where you get a seriously smooth neutral drink with some minerals, a touch of vague sweetness, and a relatively short soft finish. It's not as flavorful as something like I Spirit (which is a characteristic of many high-end vodkas), but Crystal Head is certainly one of the smoother, more mild vodkas I've had.

For most people this is going to be one of their absolute favorite vodkas due to its super mild, smooth character. For those of you who are vodka snobs and prefer to be able to taste some of the starting grain/grape/potato, this won't be your style.

Drink This:if you want an incredible smooth, mild vodka that comes in a badass bottle.

Don't Drink This: if you're looking for a flavorful high-end vodka. This may be a touch too mild. Also don't buy this if you're oldschool and think the bottle is cheesy.